NATIONAL BESTSELLER • In this sweeping, second-chance romance, a twist of fate forces two former roommates back into their beloved New York City brownstone where they must confront the events that led to their estrangement—and the unresolved feelings lingering between them. Reeling from the cancellation of her hit TV show, June Wood has nothing left to lose when a mysterious email lures her back to the New York City brownstone she once called home before she moved to Los Angeles. Thanks to a clause in the former owner’s will, she and her old roommate, Adam Harper, now own the multimillion-dollar property—or at least they will in a month, once all the paperwork is signed. Four weeks, then June can return to her life in LA and forget about New York City and everything she left behind. Sure, the fact that June and Adam are estranged and haven’t even spoken in five years, and that their friendship didn’t exactly end on good terms might complicate matters, but this is an opportunity of a lifetime. As the autumn leaves fall around them, through shared meals and late-night conversations, old wounds and long-buried sparks resurface, and it becomes strikingly clear: June and Adam have unfinished business. Confronted with the consequences of their choices years before, they must now navigate the minefield of their past the best way they know how: together. Second chances are always a risk, but maybe, if they get it right and are finally honest with each other and with themselves, it could be different this time. “ It’s Different This Time is the rich, decadent romance of the year we’ve been waiting for! From the romance to the setting and the friendships, I loved it all. This story is complex and something really special. Joss Richard’s voice is so fresh and captivating, you’ll forget you’re even reading.” —Sarah Adams, New York Times bestselling author of the Rome, Kentucky Series “ It’s Different This Time feels like the warmest sweater, soft and tender, somehow both familiar and new. I was completely immersed in June and Adam’s love story over the years, transported to this exact brownstone, to New York in the fall. Deeply emotional and layered, this second-chance romance is an instant classic!” —Naina Kumar, USA Today bestselling author of Flirting With Disaster “ It’s Different This Time is a gorgeously nostalgic second-chance romance that will simultaneously break your heart and mend it. A tender and atmospheric slowburn—this is a book you can’t stop thinking about.” —Amy Lea, international bestselling author of The Catch “A sparkling romantic love story that moonlights as a love letter to second chances, Broadway, and chasing big dreams—this book is an absolute winner!” —Kayla Olson, USA Today bestselling author of The Lodge and The Reunion Joss Richard (she/her) is an editorial & social director who’s worked at companies such as Hello Sunshine and Reese’s Book Club, The Walt Disney Company, The Ellen DeGeneres Show , Netflix, and Paramount. She’s also the creator and host of Three’s Company, Too: A Rewatch Podcast and has been formally recognized with a Daytime Emmy Award. Born in Toronto, Ontario, to Filipino immigrant parents, Richard currently lives and works in Los Angeles, California. Chapter 1 “The show’s not getting renewed.” Theo’s voice interrupts my thoughts. My eyes cut to the time on the car dashboard, which reads 8:27 a.m., and two things cross my mind. The first being how I no longer have time to pick up a coffee before getting to the studio. The second being that there should be a general rule of thumb for bad news. Specifically, that your agent shouldn’t tell you you’re out of a job before 9 a.m. “Oh,” I respond, trying to sound cool. “Well, that . . . f***ing sucks.” Swindlers is . . . or I guess was a half-hour comedy following the lives of TV executives in the seventies. Was it my defining role as an actor? No. Did it pay the bills? I mean, it was starting to. “I know, but it happens all the time,” Theo assures me. There’s a painful stench of optimism filling my car through the Bluetooth speaker. I crack a window open and breathe in what one would normally call fresh air, but let’s be honest, it’s smog. Right now, LA’s eighty-degree weather in September is more suffocating than anything. “And, June, I know it’s shitty,” she continues. “But the industry is suffering right now. They’re barely making more than one season of anything.” My brain goes on autopilot as I drive down Melrose, which is, no surprise, congested. These things do happen, especially on streaming networks. Shows have been getting canceled all year, leaving most of my actor friends out of work for months. While I can more than empathize, landing a recurring role on a show felt like a new chapter of security, a steady career. I’m a working actor. That means I’ve had a few lines in almost everything, yet am known for nothing, and, ironically, never know when I’ll be working again. P